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http://www.archive.org/details/reportofmajorgenOOconf 


REI-ORT  ^t/l^ 


OF 


MAJOR  GENKKAL  HiNDMAN 


Of'    HIS 


OPERATIOxXS  IN  THE  TRAXS-MISSISSIPPI  DISTRIOT, 


PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OF  CONGRESS. 


RICHMOND : 

R.  M.  SMITH.  PUBLIC  PRINTER^ 
186-i. 


>-«\ 


1     >. 


MESSAGE  OF  THE   PRESIDENT. 


RrciiMOxND,  Ya.,  Jan.  13,   18G4. 
To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  : 

I  herewith  transmit  for  your  information  a  communication  from 
the  Secretary  of  War,  covering  a  copy  of  "  Major  General  Ilin'i- 
man's  report  of  his  operations  while  in  command  of  the  trans-Misais- 
sippi  district." 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


COMMUNICATION    OF   THE    SECRETARY   OF  WAK. 


CONFEDF^RATE    StaTES    OF    AmERICA,  ^ 

^^  War  Department,  ' 

w  Richramd,  Va,  January  1 1,   1864.) 

To  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States  : 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  forward  for  the  information  of  Congress 
copies  of  Major  General  Ilindman's  report  of  his  operations  while  in 
command  of  the  trans-Mississippi  district,  with  an  appendix  showing 
what  ofnccrs  were  particularly  useful  in  assisting  these  operations,  in 
response  to  a  resolution  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
•    I  am,  sir,  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  A.  SEDDON, 

Secretary  of  War. 


GENERAL  H  IN  OMAN  S  REPORT, 


F^rcuMoNP,  Va.,  June   19.   1865. 
General  S    Cocper, 

'Adjutant  end  Jrspccfor  General  : 

Gr.NERAiL  r  Heretofore  it  has  been  impracticable  forme  to  make  anv 
connected  report  of  my  services  as  commander  of  the  trans-MIssit- 
sippi  district.     Such  a  report  is,  therefore,  submitted  at  this  time. 

I  was  ordered  to  that  district  by  General  G.  T.  Beauregard,  cooi- 
manding  the  western  department,  which  included  the  country  beyond 
the  Mississippi.     His  orders  to  me  were  as  follows  : 

'*  IIkaduuvutfrs  Wkstrrn  Depart.mknt.  } 
Corinth,  May  26,   1862.         i 
••  GENERAL  ORDERS,  ) 
No.  59.  \ 

"■  Major  General  T.  C.  Hiudman  is  relieved  from  duty  in  this  army, 
and,  at  the  eivrnest  solicitations  of  the  people  of  Arkansas,  is  assign^.i 
to  the  command  of  the  forces  in  that  State  and  the  Indian  country, 
or  that  hereafter  may  come  within  their  limits.  lie  is  charged  with 
their  defence,  and  is  fully  authorized  and  empowercl  to  organii:-?  its 
troops,  under  the  act  of  Aptil  16th,  185i},  entitled  *An  act  to  fur- 
llier  provitle  for  the  public  defence.' 

"•  The  General  commanding  parts  with  tnis  gallant  officer,  who?" 
actions  in  the  field  have  been  so  valuably  rendered,  with  sincere 
regret,  lie  does  so  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  own  people,  who  t»o 
greatly  need  and  justly  value  his  services  at  this  juncture. 

•■  By  command  of  General  IJeaurgard. 

"  Geor^k  Wm.   Brknt,   Acting  Chief  of  Stojf.  " 

lExtract.]  '•  IIf.aixjiartcrs  We.'^tfrn  Department,  ) 

'•  Corinth,  Mm.,  May  27,    180 2.       S 
'■  GENERAL  ORDERS.  ^ 

'=No.   60.  S 

'•  V  Major  General  llindman's  command  will  be  designatcu  4" 
the  trans-Mississippi  district,  and  will  comprise  the  following  tarrt- 
tory,  to-wit :  The  States  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  that  portion 
of  the  State  of  Louisiana  north  of  Red  river,  and  the  Indian 
territory. 

••  By  command  of  General  Beauregard. 

♦♦George  Wm.   Brknt,  Acting  Chef  of  Staff.' 


"When  these  orders  were  received  I  commanded  a  divigioii  in  Gen- 
eral Bragg's  corps  at  Corinth.  It  was  the  largest  division  in  the 
entire  army,  compose  1  almost  wholly  of  veteran  troops,  and  could 
not  fail  to  distinguish  the  oflicer  who  might  lead  it  in  battle.  I 
relinquished  this  command  reluctantly  as  a  soldier,  in  obedience  to 
my  superior,  but  under  the  impression  that  I  might  be  more  useful 
in  the  new  field  assigned  me. 

In  the  existing  condition  of  tbings.  General  Beauregard  could  not 
ppare  ir.c  a  soldier,  a  gun,  a  pound  of  powder,  nor  a  single  dollar  of 
money.  However,  at  Memphis,  which  was  then  being  evacuated,  I 
obtained  from  Government  officers  and  agents  thirty- five  Enfield 
lifles,  four  hundred  damaged  shot  guns  and  sporting  rifles,  and  two 
iiundred  rounds  of  shot  and  shell  for  six-pounders ;  impressed 
seventy- five  thousand  percussion  caps,  some  shoes,  blankets  and  camp 
equipage,  and  purchased  a  small  quantity  of  medicines.  By  permis- 
HJon  of  General  Beauregard,  applied  for  and  received  by  telegraph,  I 
also  took  from  the  banks  of  that  city,  by  impressment,  one  million 
dollars  in  Confederate  currency. 

In  addition,  I  sent  two  of  my  staff  officers  to  Grenada,  Jackson, 
Columbus,  and  other  depots,  with  requisitions  for  ordnance  and 
ordnance  stores,  instructing  them  to  take  even  condemned  articles, 
and  to  bring  them  to  me  by  the  most  practicable  route.  On  the  way 
down  the  Mississippi  I  caused  large  quantities  of  cotton  to  be  burned, 
pursuant  to  the  order  of  the  War  Department  on  that  subject,  to 
prevent  it  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  At  Helena  I 
seized  all  the  ammunition,  shoes,  blankets  and  most  valuable  medi- 
cines held  for  pale.  Several  steamboats,  which  were  ascending  and 
would  hare  been  captured  by  the  enemy,  were  required  to  turn  back 
and  go  into  the  Arkansas.  They  were  r.ftcrwards  invaluable  in 
transporting  subsistence  and  other  stores.  I  arrived  at  Little  Rock 
on  May  3')th,  and  on  thegiext  day  issued  the  following  order: 

"Headquarters  Trans-Mississippi  Disthict,  ) 
Little  Rock.  Ark. .  May  31,1862.      J 
'*  GENERAL  ORDERS,  / 
No.  1.  ^ 

"  I.  Pursuant  to  general  orders,  Nos.  59  and  6! I,  from  headquar- 
ters, western  department,  the  undersigned  assumes  command  of  the 
trans-Mississippi  district,  composed  of  the  States  of  Arkansas  and 
Missouri,  the  Indian  territory,  and  that  part  of  Louisiana  lying 
north  of  Red  river;  and  of  all  the  forces  which  now  are  or  hereafter 
may  be  therein. 

**  T.   G.   HiNDMAN,  Major  Gmeral. 

''Official:     R.   C.  Newton,  ^.  ^.  Gr 

The  state  of  affairs  in  tho  trans-Mississippi  district  was  extremely 
discouraging,  Prior  to  the  Elkhorn  disaster  the  reverse  har]  been 
the  case.  At  that  time  the  enemy,  indael,  occupie;!  all  of  Missouri, 
hut  the  spirit  of  resistance  was  unquenched,  and  might  at  any  moment 
Maze  into  formidable  rebellion.  Van  Dorn,  Price  and  McGalloch, 
with  the  best  army  we  had  yet  put  in  the  field  in  that  region,  were  in 


iaoi'thwest  Arkansas,  securing  it  against  invasion.  J^rlgadier  General 
Pike  held  a  corresponding  line  in  the  Indian  country,  -where  the 
Oonfederate  supremacy  was  undisputed. 

The  battle  of  Elkhorn  was  fought  in  March,  1862.  Our  forces 
vere  defeated  and  compelled  to  retreat  to  the  Arkansas  river.  Soon 
after,  in  anticipation  of  a  grand  contest  near  Corinth,  they  were 
moved  east  of  the  Miesissippi,  by  order  of  General  Albert  Sidney 
.Johnston,  then  commanding  the  Western  department.  They  took 
with  them  from  Arka'.isas  all  material  of  war  and  public  property,  of 
every  description.  Immediately  afterwards.  Brigadier  General  Pike 
retreated  southward,  to  the  vicinity  of  Red  river.  Thus  Missouri 
was  left  hopeless  of  early  succor,  Arkansas  without  a  soldier,  and 
the  Indian  country  undefended,  except  by  its  own  inhabitants. 
Availing  himself  of  these  advantages,  the  Federal  General  Curtis 
marched  from  Elkhcrn,  along  White  river,  into  northeast  Arkansas, 
and  halted  at  Batesville,  ninety  miles  from  Little  Rock,  to  get  sup- 
plies for  an  advance  on  that  place.  A  Federal  force,  five  thousand 
strong,  was  organized  at  Fort  Scott,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Indian 
expedition,"  and  with  the  avowed  intention  to  invade  the  Indian 
country  and  wrest  it  from  our  control.  Hostile  Indians  began 
collecting  on  the  border,  and  Federal  emissaries  were  busy  among  the 
Cherokees  and  Creeks  inciting  disaffection.  Detachments  of  Federal 
cavalry  penetrated,  at  will,  into  various  parts  of  the  upper  half  of 
Arkansas,  plundering  and  burning  houses,  stealing  horses  and  slaves, 
destroying  farming  utensils,  murdering  loyal  men  or  carrying  them 
into  captivity,  forcing  the  oath  of  allegiance  on  the  timid  and  Jiasera- 
iaating  disloyal  sentiments  among  the  ignorant.  A  regiment  of 
Federal  Arkansians  was  organized  at  Batesville,  r^nother  commenced 
in  northwest  Arkansas,  and  the  work  of  recruiting  for  the  Federal 
service  went  on  prosperously.  Tory  bands  were  organized  or  in  pro- 
cess of  organization  in  many  counties,  not  only  in  the  upper,  but  in 
the  lo^er  half  of  the  State  likewise,  and  depredations  and  outrages 
upon  loyal  citizens  were  of  constant  occurrence.  Straggling  soldiers, 
belonging  to  distant  commands,  traversed  the  country,  armed  and 
lawless,  robbing  the  people  of  their  property  under  pretence  of  *'  im- 
pressing "  it  for  the  Confederate  service.  The  Governor  and  other 
executive  officers  fled  from  the  capital,  taking  the  archives  of  State 
with  them.  The  courts  were  suspended,  and  civil  magistrates  almost 
universally  ceased  to  exercise  their  functions.  Confederate  money 
was  openly  refused,  or  so  depreciated  as  to  be  nearly  worthless.  This, 
with  the  short  crop  of  the  preceding  year,  and  the  failure,  on  all  the 
uplands,  of  the  one  then  growing,  gave  rise  to  the  crueh  st  extortion 
in  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  menaced  the  poor  with  actual  starvation. 
These  evils  were  aggravated  by  an  address  of  the  Governor,  issued 
shortly  before  his  flight,  deprecating  the  withdrawal  of  troops  and 
threatening  secession  from  the  Confederacy. 

Brigadier  General  J.  S.  Roane  had  been  placed  in  command  :>f  Ar- 
kansas by  General  Van  Dorn,  but  without  any  troops.  Ho  was  in- 
t<tructcd,  as  the  best  thing  possible,  to  endeavor  to  hold  the  line  of 
the  Arkansas  river,  giving  up  more  than  half  the  territory,  popula- 


tion  and  resources  of  the  State.  That  this  might  be  done,  General 
Van  Dorn  directed  General  Pike  to  send  a  portion  of  his  fcrce  to 
Little  Rock,  but  he  refused.  General  Pike  had,  at  that  time,  one 
regimer.t  of  Arkansas  infantry  ;  tv.o  six-gun  Arkansas  batteries ; 
one  Texas  battery  of  four  guns  ;  two  regiments,  and  several  unat- 
tached companies  of  Texas  cavalry ;  and  ten  ten-pounder  Parrott 
rifles ;  besides  five  thousand  five  hundred  Indian  troops.  There  was 
no  Federal  force,  other  than  small  marauding  parties,  within  two 
hundred  miles  of  him.  General  Roane  was  at  Little  Rock,  without 
a  regiment,  and  Curtis'  victorious  army,  at  least  fifteen  thousand 
strong,  was  moving  in  that  direction. 

Fortunately,  five  regiments  of  Texas  cavalry  arrived,  en  their  way 
to  Corinth.  General  Roane,  by  permission  of  General  Beauregard, 
detained  them  at  Little  Rock.  About  the  same  time,  by  order  of 
the  Navy  Department,  the  Confederate  ram  *'  Mauripas,"  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Fry,  commanding,  came  into  White  river,  and  the  ram  *'  Pont- 
chartrain,"  Lieutenant  J,  W.  Dunnington,  commanding,  into  the  Ar- 
kansas. 

These  accessions  had  the  eifect  to  retard  the  movements  of  Curtif, 
whose  advance,  when  I  assumed  command,  was  thirty-five  miles  from 
Little  Rock.  I  found  under  General  Roane  eight  companies  of  Ar- 
kansas iafantry,  wholly  unarmed  ;  one  six-gun  battery,  with  but  forty 
men  ;  zrA  less  than  fifteen  hundred  effective  cavalry — many  of  the 
Texans  being  unarmed,  and  many  of  them  sick.  For  this  force  he 
had  about  three  days  subsistence  and  forage,  and  less  than  fifteen 
rounds  of  ammunition. 

There  were  no  depots  of  supplies  in  the  district.  In  the  situation 
in  which  i  was  phiced,  it  was  necessai'v  to  do  many  important  acts 
vrith  promptness.  Any  hesitatoin  or  serious  error,  would  inevitably 
result  in  the  capture  of  Little  Rock,  and  the  loss  of  the  remainder  of 
Arkansas  to  the  Confederacy.  That  would  involve  the  loss,  also,  of 
the  Indian  country,  and  destroy  all  hope  of  recovering  Missouri,  be- 
nides  exposing  Texas  and  Louisiana  to  the  greatest  misfortunes. 
Such  calamities  could  not  be  averted  without  an  army.  I  had  no 
army,  and  had  not  been  authorized  to  raise  one,  the  instructions  of 
General  Reauregard  limiting  rac  to  the  enforcement  of  the  "  conscript 
act,"  which  prohibited  new  regiments.  To  wait  until  necessary  au- 
thority could  be  applied  for  and  received  from  Richmond,  even  if  the 
(Tovernmcnt  should  not  deem  itself  precluded  by  the  *'  conscript  acf' 
from  gra-iiting  such  authority,  would  be  nothing  else  than  the  surren- 
der to  the.  enemy  of  the  country  from  which  the  troops  must  bo  ob- 
tained. 1  therefore  resolved  to  accept  the^  responsibility  which  the 
.situation  imposed,  of  raising  and  organizing  a  force  without  author- 
ity of  law,  and  that  I  would  do  all  acts  necessary  to  make  that  deter- 
mination effective.  In  coming  to  this  conclusion,  I  considered  that 
the  main  object  of  all  law  is  the  public  safety,  and  that  the  evident 
necessity  of  departing  from  the  letter  of  the  law,  in  order  to  accom- 
plish the  object,  would  more  than  justify  me  in  the  eyes  of  my  supe- 
riors and  of  intelligent  patriots,  everywhere.  !^^. 

The  first  difficulty  to  be  met,  in  the  execution  of  this  purpose,  was 


the  attempt  of  the  Governor  of  Arkansas  to  raise  a  State  force,  upon 
the  basis  of  his  formal  pledge  not  to  transfer  it  to  the  Confederate 
service.  Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  two  different  mili- 
tary organizations  would  antagonize,  rather  than  help  each  other.  I 
had  witnessed  this  result  in  Arkansas,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
war.  After  much  trouble  and  embarrassment.  General  Hardee  had 
finally  obtained  tbe  consent  of  the  State  authorities  to  transfer  their 
troops  ;  but  this  agreement  was  trammelled  with  the  condition  that  eich 
and  every  soldier  should  decide  the  question  for  himself  Taking 
advantage  of  this,  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  State,  (E.  Bitrgwin.) 
and  two  of  the  general  officers,  (James  Yell  and  N  13.  Burrow,)  c;nao 
near  defeating  the  whole  plan.  In  northwest  Arkansas,  out  of  ov«^r 
three  thousand  soldiers,  only  eighteen  consented  to  be  transferred.  In 
northeast  vVrkansas,  nearly  half  of  the  first  regiment,  approached  v>a 
the  subject,  decided  to  go  home.  To  prevent  further  losses,  Genor.vl 
Hardee  devolved  on  me  the  duty  of  effecting  the  transfer  of  the  remain- 
ing four  regiments.  It  was  done  by  hurrj'ing  to  their  camps,  and  mus- 
tering them  into  the  Confederate  service,  before  the  Adjutant  (:ener.J 
of  the  State  could  reach  them.  Warned  by  this  experience,  and  re 
membering  the  Governor's  late  threat  of  secession,  I  representee!  to 
him  that  1  should  feel  constrained  to  apply  the  provision  of  the  "con- 
script; act"  to  his  troops, and  to  impress  whatever  stores  he  in  ght  ac- 
cumulate. He  abandoned  the  attempt,  and  transferred  to  the  Lonfcd- 
eracy  the  few  troops  already  raised,  together  with  all  military  prop- 
erty of  the  State.  I  now  directed  the  enrollment  and  orguuz^t:  >a 
into  companies  and  regiments,  of  all  men  in  Arkansas  subject  to  con- 
scription. 

Absentees  from  commands  east  of  the  Mississippi  were  to  be  in- 
cluded, but  with  a.  memorandum,  stating  their  proper  companies  a;..! 
regiments.  Substitution  was  prohibited,  because  I  regarded  it  33  cer- 
tain to  increase  the  difficulties,  already  too  great,  that  were  in  ray 
way. 

To  encourage  volunteering,  it  was  announced  that  they  who  sho;...d 
form  companies  by  June  2i)th,  wculd  be  permitted  to  elect  their  com- 
pany officers ;  but  that  in  all  other  cases  the  company  o^icers,  an^*  in 
all  cases  the  field  and  staff  officers,  would  be  appointed.  Under  Ihn 
conscript  law,  these  men  were  to  be  distributed  among  the  old  regi- 
ments, depriving  them  of  all  right  to  elect  ofhcers  of  any  gralo.  i 
enlarged  instead  of  curtailing  their  privileges.  J.iaying  off  t!ic  St?-.tc 
into  convenient  districts.  I  appointed  a  commander  over  each,  giving 
him  control  of  the  enrolling  officers  within  hia  district,  authorisiof; 
him  to  purchase  or  impress  arms,  ammunition,  and  the  neccttsary  sup 
plies,  and  assigning  to  him  a  quartermaster  and  commissary.  Of 
these  staff  officers,  bonds  were  required  in  the  penalty  and  acooiding 
to  the  form  prescribed  by  law. 

The  various  district  commanders  and  enrolling  officers  were  la- 
Btructed  to  rcpiort,  in  detail,  upon  the  agricultural  and  mineral  r*^- 
eourccs  cf  each  county,  and  its  condition  in  respect  of  transportatic'a, 
and  other  matters  important  to  be  known.  Their  reports  were  8'j!>- 
flequently  abstracted  by  Major  (now  Brigadier  General)  F.  A.  Shoapc, 
of  my  staff,  and  forwarded  to  Richmond. 


10 

^lilitary  posts  were  established  at  those  points  at  which  troops  wer© 
tc  be  ccncentrated,  and  at  other  points  where  it  was  deemed  expe- 
dient to  place  supplies  in  reserve,  or  for  troops  on  the  march.  For 
these  posts,  officers  of  the  several  staff  departments  were  appointed, 
and  the  accumulation  of  supplies  commenced. 

Measures  were  also  adopted  for  manufacturing  many  important  ar- 
ticles for  army  use ;  among  these  articles  were  salt,  leather,  shoes, 
wagons,  harness,  gun-carriages  and  caissons,  powder,  shot  and  shell, 
ti\d  accoutrements,  all  of  which  were  soon  produced  in  considerable 
quantities.  Preparations  were  made  for  mining  and  smelting  iron, 
with  the  view  to  cast  field  and  heavy  artillery ;  and  moulds,  furnaces, 
and  lathes  were  constructed  for  this  purpose.  Machinery  was  made 
for  manufacturing  percussion  caps  and  small  arms,  and  both  were 
furnedout  in  small  quantity,  but  of  excellent  quality.  Lead  mines  were 
opened  and  worked.  A  chemical  laboratory  was  established,  and  suc- 
cessfully operated,  in  aiding  the  ordnance  department,  and  in  theraan- 
ur.icture  ot  calomel,  castor  oil,  spirits  of  nitre,  the  various  tinctures 
of  iron,  and  other  valuable  medicines.  Most  of  these  works  were  lo- 
cated at  and  near  Arkadelphia,  on  the  Ouachita  river,  seventy-five 
t::;iles  south  from  Little  Rock.  The  tools,  machinery,  and  materials 
were  gathered  piece-meal,  or  else  made  by  hand  labor.  Nothing  of 
the  sort  had  been  before  attempted  on  government  account,  in  Arkan- 
sjtS,  to  my  knowledge,  except  the  manufacture  of  small  arms,  the  ma- 
dr.inery  for  which  was  taken  away  by  General  Van  Dorn  ;  and  there 
w£8  neither  capital  nor  sufficient  enterprise  among  citizens  to  engage 
in  such  undertakings.  Considering  the  isolation  of  my  district,  and 
the  virtual  impossibility  of  supplying  it  from  east  of  the  Mississippi,, 
)Tjy  purpose  was  to  make  it  completely  self-sustaining.  .  With  a  reason- 
able amount  of  money,  I  should  have  accomplished  this  design,  if 
left  to  my  discretion  in  its  execution.  The  natural  resources  of  that 
<::untry  are  truly  wonderful  in  their  abundance  and  variety.  Energy 
Ri'd  a  liberal  foresight  might  develope  them  to  an  immensely  valuable 
J??:  tent. 

Being  made  responsible  for  the  defence  of  north  Louisiana,  I  a3» 
Signed  Brigadier  General  Roane  to  that  command,  with  instructions 
to  enroil  and  organize  the  men  subject  to  conscription.  He  found,  at 
Monroe,  two  regiments  and  a  battalion  of  unarmed  infantry,  and  an 
aitillcry  company  without  guns.  Steps  had  been  taken  to  render 
f.hesc  troops  efficient,  and  to  add  to  them;  when,  without  any  notice 
to  me,  Brigadier  General  Blanchard  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
conscripts  of  north  Louisiana,  by  the  Secretary  of  War.  Upon  the 
receipt,  from  General  Blanchard,  of  a  copy  of  the  Secretary's  order, 
I  recalled  General  Roane« 

With  the  view  to  revive  the  hopes  of  loyal  men  in  Missouri,  and  to 
^c'c  troops  from  that  State,  I  gave  authority  to  various  persons  to 
raise  companies  and  regiments  there,  and  to  operate  as  guerrillas. 
They  soon  became  exceedingly  active,  and  rendered  important  services, 
destroying  wagon  trains  and  transports,  tearing  up  railways,  break- 
ing telegraph  lines,  capturing  towns,  and  thus  compelling  the  enemy 
to  keep  there  a  large  force  that  might  hay©  been  employed  elsewhere, 


11 

The  victory  won  at  Lono  Jack,  by  Colonels  Cockrell  and  Jockraan, 
aided  by  Captain -^^^uantrell,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  affairs  of 
the  war,  resulting  in  the  complete  rout  of  a  superior  force,  and  the 
capture  of  their  artiHerv,  two  splendid' bronze  rifles,  with  the  liorses 
and  full  equipments;  which  were  safely  brought  to  me,  and  after- 
wards proved  very  valuable.  Besides  the  officers  above  mentioned, 
Colonel  Porter,  and  others,  highly  distinguished  themselves  and 
greatly  annoyed  the  enemy.  I  regret  that  the  difficulty  of  communi- 
cating with  me  while  they  were  so  employed,  prevented  any  wiittcn 
reports,  and  leaves  me  unable  to  speak  of  their  operations  in  the 
terras  deserved. 

Missourians  in  Arkansas,  belonging  to  the  old  "  State  Guard,"  were 
strongly  desirous  to  revive  that  organization.  Embarrassment  on  that 
score  was  prevented  by  accepting  their  general  officers — Brigadier 
Generals  McBrido  and  Rains — into  the  Confederate  service,  condi- 
tioned upon  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War.  The  number  of 
these  men  was  not  great,  nor  were  they  embodied  ;  but  they  were 
tried  soldiers,  full  of  zeal  for  the  cause,  and  it  woiiM  have  been  a 
serious  misfortune  to  have  Inst  their  services,  or  to  have  been  involved 
in  dissentions  with  them. 

Being  apprised  that  tlierc  were  large  bodies  of  troops  in  Tex'x  <  un- 
,  employed,  1  applied  to  Brigadier  General  ITebert  and  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral M'Culloch  to  send,  or,  if  practicable,  bring  them  to  me.  The 
action  of  both  these  officers  was  prompt,  liberal,  and  patriotic  ;  and  I- 
take  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  my  obligation  to  them.  They 
sent  me  many  fine  regiments,  some  of  which  came  armed,  and  others 
were  armed  by  me. 

In  view  of  the  dangers  that  threatened  to  overwhelm  my  district, 
I  decided  that  all  cotton  in  Arkansas  and  north  Louisiana  was  in  im- 
minent danger  of  filling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Beinjxof  that 
opini(;n,  it  was  my  duty,  under  the  act  of  Congress  of  March  17th, 
1862,  and  the  order  of  the.  War  D:^partinent  thereon,  to  take  such 
steps  as  would  certaiuly  put  this  property  out  of  the  enemy's  reach;. 
To  defer  taking  it  into  possession  until  the  enemy  should  get  in  its 
immediate  vicinity,  and  then  rely  upon  the  owners  to  destroy  it,  would 
be  puerile.  Wherever  that  had  been  tried,  the  enemy  got  at  least  fivo 
bales  out  of  every  ten.  Whetlier  this  resulted  from  the  fears  or  the 
(•upidify  of  the  owners,  was  immaterial.  I  determined  to  dispose  of 
the  matter  different iy  and  effectually.  An  order  was  issued,  seizing 
all  the  cotton  which  I  had  regarded  as  in  danger,  and  directing  receipts 
given  for  it,  by  agents  appointed  for  the  purpose.  The  same  orier 
directed  that  all  cotton  adjacent  to  the  enemy's  lines  should  be  burned 
immediately;  that  the  reir^aindcr  should  bo  removed  twenty  m'les 
from  any  navigable  stream,  and  burne  1  upon  the  approach  of  an  etie- 
my;  but  that,  out  of  all,  as  far  as  practicable,  ten  pounds  should  be 
issued,  as  a  gratuity,  to  e.i;h  mambcr  of  every  family,  for  doinestio 
manufactures.  The  distribution  in  ten  pound  parcels  was  as  ccrt-ain 
a  mode  of  keeping  the  cotton  out  of  the  enemy's  hands  as  to  de=«troj 
it.  while,  in  fact,  it  extorted  from  misfortune  a  great  public  ben^^^lt. 

Many  planters  complained — those  nearest  the  enemy  more  Joydl? 


13 

than  any.  The  enemy  also  expressed  great  indignation,  and  denoun- 
ced the  penalty  of  death  against  all  cotton-burners.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  object  of  the  law  was  accomplished  more  fully  than  was 
possible  under  any  different  policy;  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  wives 
and  children  of  soldiers,  and  other  necessitous  persons,  were  provided 
with  the  material  for  clothing  themselves  and  their  relations  in  the 
army.  In  furtheracce  of  this  same  policy,  I  gave  considerable  aid  to 
persons  skilled  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and  wool  cards,  spinning 
wheels  and  looms,  and  caused  wool  to  be  brought  from  Texas  and  ex- 
changed, at  cost  and  carriage,  for  army  supplies.  This  resulted  in  it 
developeraent  of  home  industry  and  production  never  before  equalled, 
and  which  was  an  essential  element  of  my  success  in  the  creation  and 
maintenance  of  an  army.  "On  the  day  of  taking  command,  I  caused 
the  pov.'der  on  the  "  Pontchartrain  "  to  be  sifted,  and  thereby  obtained 
a  considerable  quantity  for  small  arms.  A  further  supply,  together 
with  lead  and  caps,  was  procured  from  the  citizens  of  Little  Rock  and 
vicinity,  by  donations,  purchases,  and  impressments.  This  ammuni- 
tion, and  that  which  I  had  brought  with  mc,  was  rapidly  prepared  for 
use,  at  the  laboratory  established  at  the  Little  Rock  arsenal  for  the 
purpose.  As  illustrating  the  pitiable  scarcity  of  material  in  the  coun- 
try, the  fact  may  be  stated  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  use  public 
documents  of  the  State  library  for  cartridge  paper. 

Gunsmiths  were  employed  or  conscribed,  tools  purchased  or  im- 
pressed, and  the  repair  of  the  damaged  guns  I  brought  with  me,  and 
about  an  equal  number  found  at  Little  Rock,  was  commenced  at  once. 
Men  were  transferred  from  the  unarmed  infantry  to  the  artillery  com- 
pany, and  it  was  otherwise  rendered  as  effective  as  possible.  Four 
iron  guns,  condemned  under  the  United  States  Government,  and  lefc 
at  tlie  arsenal  as  useless,  and  eight  others  that  had  been  inserted  in 
the  earth  for  years  as  corner  posts,  were  mounted  and  equipped,  and 
aferwards  rendered  g^od  service  in  the  field. 

On  June  3d,  anticipating  the  fall  of  Mempliis,  and  that  Federal 
fleets  would  ascend  White  river  and  the  Ark?.nsas,  to  co-operate  with 
Curtis,  I  took  steps  for  obstructing  both  streams.  The  sudden  fall  of 
the  Arkansas  obviated  the  danger  as  to  it,  for  the  time  being.  The 
point  selected  on  White  river  was  St  Charles,  about  one  hundred 
miles  above  the  mouth,  where  the  first  bluff  appears.  A  pile-driver 
was  taken  there  from  Little  Rock,  and  another  hauled  ov  n*  land  from 
Madison,  on  the  St.  Francis.  Timber  was  cut  and  iioated  down,  and 
great  energy  disi  layed  in  the  work.  Captain  A..M.  Williams,  of  mi' 
staff,  had  charge  of  this  undertaking,  assisted  by  Mr.  L.  Leary  and 
Mr.  George  Brodie,  citizens.  One  hundred  men  of  the  infantry  went 
under  Captain  Williams,  thirty-five  being  armed  with  the  Enfield 
rifles  brought  from  Memphis  ;  the  others  were  intended  for  labor  on 
the  obstructions.     I  had  no  arms  for  them. 

On  June  5th,  I  pushed  my  cavalry  boldly  against  Curtis's  advance, 
which  outnumbered  them  as  three  to  one.  I  had  previously  endeav- 
ored to  impress  Curtis  with  the  belief  that  a  large  force  came  with  me 
from  Corinth,  and  that  heavy  reinforcements  had  reached  me  from^ 
Texas.     This  information  was  conveyed  to  him  by  spies  and  disloyal  v 


IS 

persons,  the  latter  being  themselves  deceived.  The  result  answered 
my  expectations.  After  a  very  feeble  resistance,  the  Federal  cavalry 
fell  back  beyond  bayou  Des  Arc.  I  then  ordered  the  "]Mauripas" 
np  White  river  to  capture  or  destroy  the  supplies  collected  at  Grand 
Glaize  and  Jacksonport,  and  to  alarm  the  enemy  by  thus  threatening 
his  communication  witli  Batesville.  Captain  Fry  executed  these  ord- 
ers with  admirable  promptness  and  complete  success.  At  the  same 
time,  the  enemy  was  attacked  in  front.  lie  retired  in  confusion  to 
Little  Red  river,  and  thence  retreated  to  the  vicinity  of  Batesville. 
Brigadier  General  A.  Rust,  who  had  been  ordered  to  report  to  me  by 
General  Van  Dorn,  had  command  of  my  cavalry  at  that  time. 

These  operations  gave  me  a  good  line  of  defence — that  of  White 
river,  and  its  tributary,  the  Little  Red.  Our  losses  did  not  exceed 
fifty.  The  enemy  lost,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  over  three 
hundred,  with  as  many  arms,  and  several  wagons  containing  ammu- 
nition. Skirmishing  was  now  almost  continuous,  and  our  troops  were 
uniformly  successful.  Captain  Alf.  Johnson,  commanding  an  un- 
attached company  of  Texans,  inflicted  fiequent  defeats  upon  Federal 
pcouting  parties,  and  won  much  distinction  as  a  brave  and  skillful  parti- 
san. Upon  one  occasion  he  literally  destroyed  an  entire  Federal 
company.  Major  ChrisTuari,  commanding  an  Arkansas  squadron, 
was  bold  and  active.  Captain  Rutherford,  of  his  coranaand,  passed 
entirely  around  the  Federal  army,  crossing  White  river,  destroying  a 
supply  train  from  Missouri,  and  capturing  a  telegraph  station  a  few 
miles  north  of  Batesville,  with  the  telegraphic  correspondence  of  Cur- 
tis and  llalleck.  The  former' declared  the  situation  precarious,  an 
advance  impracticable  without  reinforcements,  and  that  he  could  not 
remain  where  he  was  without  supplies ;  the  latter  promised  both  at 
once,  saying  he  would  send  a  cavalry  brigade  from  Missouri,  and  in- 
fantry, with  ample  supplies,  up  White  river. 

Memphis  had  long  since  fallen,  and  the  enemy  controlled  the  Mis- 
sissippi  from  St.  Louis  to  Vicksburg.  securing  access  for  his  gunboats 
and  transports  into  White  river.  That  stream  afforded  ten  feet  of 
water  to  DeVall's  Bluff,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  from  the 
mouth,  and  sixty  miles  east  of  Little  Rock,  with  which  place  there  is 
railway  communication. 

On  June  16th,  a  Federal  fleet  appeared  in  White  river,  near  St. 
Charles.  It  consisted  of  the  iron-clad  gunboats  "St.  Louis"  and 
"  Mound  City,"  each  mounting  thirteen  guns  ;  the  "  Lexington  "  and 
"  Conestoga,"  partially  iron-clad,  each  carrying  seven  guns  ;  the  tug 
"Tiger,"  carrying  one  twenty-four  pounder  howitzer;  and  three 
transports,  with  between  one  thousand  and  fifteen  hundred  infantry, 
under  Colonel  D.  N.  Fitch^  The  "  Mausipas  "  was  at  St.  Charles, 
but  would  have  been  us-eless  against  the  enemy's  iron-clad  vessels. 
The  obstructions  being  incomplete,  she  was  sunk  across  the  channel, 
together  with  two  steamboats.  Two  rifle  thirty-two  pounders  and  four 
field-pieces  were  put  in  battery  on  the  bluff,  manned  by  seventy-nine 
men  of  the  crews  of  the  "  Mauripas  "  and  "  Pontchartrain,"  under 
Captain  Dunnington,  of  the  latter  vessel.  Captain  Williams's  armed 
men,  thirty-five  in  number,  were  disposed  as  ^arpahooters,  below  ; 


14 

fho3o  not  armed  were  sent  to  the  rear.  Captain  Fry  was  placed  ia 
chief  command. 

The  Federal  jjunboats  attacked  about  nine,  A.  M.,  on  the  17tb. 
After  an  engagement  of  nearly  three  hours  duration,  the  "Mound 
City"  was  blown  up  by  a  shot  from  our  batteries,  and  the  rest  retired 
out  of  range.  The  infantry  then  lande;],  and  carried  the  position, 
our  little  force  spiking  the  guns  and  retiring  up  the  river.  Our  loss 
was  six  killed,  one  wounded,  and  eight  missing;  that  of  the  enemy 
was  over  two  hundred.  On  the  "  Mound  City  •'  alone  one  hundred 
and  eighty  perished.  Captain  Fry,  the  last  to  retreat,  was  severely 
wounded  and  made  prisoner.  For  further  particulars  of  the  heroic 
conduct  of  this  officer,  and  Captains  Dunnington  and  Williams,  with 
the  officers  and  men  under  them,  I  refer  to  the  detailed  report  of  the 
engagement  heretofore  forwai'ded  through  the  headquarters  of  the 
western  department. 

Several  days  before  this  battle.  Colonel  (afterwards  Brigadier 
General)  A.  Nelson,  now  deceased,  a  most  excellent  officer,  arrived 
at  Little  Rock  from  Texas,  with  his  well-armed  and  finely  disciplined 
regiment  of  infantry.  He  was  ordered  to  St.  Charles  in  ample  time 
to  have  reached  there  before  its  fall,  but,  being  without  ammunition, 
was  detained  at  De  Vall's  Bluff,  till  I  had  su^jceeded  in  begging,  buy- 
ing, and  impressing  enough  for  forty  rounds,  making  it  into  cart- 
ridges, and  sending  it  to  him  by  rail.  He  then  started  down  the  river, 
by  steamer,  and  was  within  fifteen  miles  of  St.  Charles  when  it  fell. 
Apprized  of  that  event,  he  returned  to  De  Vall's  Bluff,  where 
entrenchments  were  thrown  up,  and"  three  heavy  guns,  from  the 
Pontchartrain,  put  in  position.  Obstructions  were  also  put  in  the 
channel  to  detain  the  enemy's  vessels  under  fire.  A  regiment  and 
battalion  of  Arkansas  infantry,  just  organized  and  armed,  partly 
with  shot-guns  and  sporting  rifles,  and  partly  with  pikes  and  lances, 
were  sent  to  De  Vall's  Bluff,  together  with  three  batteries  of  artillery, 
and  with  the  regiment  already  there,  were  formed  into  a  brigade  under 
Colonel  Nelson. 

The  expedition  under  Fitch  was  joined,  on  the  17th  and  18th, 
by  an  additional  gunboat  and  six  transports,  carrying  troops,  which 
raised  his  land  force  to  four  thousand  men,  or  thereabouts.  Evid^titly 
alarmed  by  the  resistance  met  at  Ft.  Charles,  he  moved  very  slowly 
up  stream,  fired  upon  from  both  banks  by  my  cavalry,  dismounted, 
and  by  citizens.  His  losses  were  considerable.  At  Clarendon, 
twenty-five  miles  below  De  Vall's  Bluff,  he  landed  a  regiment  of 
infantry,  and  moved  it  forward  on  the  west  side  to  recoTmoitre. 
•escorted  by  the  tug  Tiger.  After  advancing  five  miles  it  was  com- 
pelled to  retire  with  a  loss  of  fifty-five  in  killed  and  prisoners.  This 
repulse  was  given  by  Morgan's  squadron  of  Texans,  and  four  unat- 
tached companies  of  Arkansas  troops,  under  Captain  P.  H.  Wheat, 
assisted  by  several  "independent  companies"  of  non-conscripts.  I 
had  called  upon  all  citizens,  not  within  the  ages  of  conscription,  to 
form  themselves  into  companies  bearing  this  designation,  and  of  any 
strength  between  ten  and  eighty.  They  were  to  arm,  equip,  and 
ration  themselves,  and  to  serve  at  will,  and  were  to  receive  the  value 


15 

of  subsistence  and  forage  furnished,  with  p-ay  as  soldiers  for  the  tico 
actually  served.  They  proved  invaluable  as  guides,  scouts,  and 
guerrillas. 

On  June  24tli,  certain  information  reached  me  that  Curtis,  with 
his  entire  array,  was  in  motion,  down  the  east  bank  of  White  river, 
and  that  he  was  almost  destitute  of  f:upplios.  Gcner:il  RuU  wr-H 
ordered  towards  Jacksonport,  intending  there  to  cross  White  river, 
get  in  Curtis'  front,  and  dispute  the  passage  of  Black  river,  three 
miles  above  that  place.  To  delay  the  enemy  and  gain  time  for  tb.ia 
movement,  Sweet's  Texan  regiment  was  throvvn  across  White  river, 
above  Batcsville,  and  fell  upon  his  rear,  killing,  woun  ling,  and  cap- 
turing over  two  hundred  Fcderalii,  and  taking  a  nambor  of  wagon-j, 
containing  army  stores  and  sutler's  goods,  lid  was  compelled  to 
retire,  however,  by  the  near  approach  of  ^^shburn's  cavalry  bri- 
gade, marching  from  Missouri  to  reinforce  \!artis.  (rencral  llust 
reported  it  impracticable  to  cross  White  river  at  or  near  Jacksonport. 
I  then  ordered  him  to  Des  Arc,  seventy-five  miles  below,  and  after- 
wards to  cross  White  river  and  take  position  on  the  Cache  river, 
which  Curtis  must  cross  ia  his  march  southward.  His  force  vf "* 
increased  at  Des  Arc  by  the  addition  of  Colonel  (now  Brig.  Gen.)  D. 
McRae's  regiment  of  Arkansas  infantry,  which  that  indomitable  officer 
had  marched  to  him  at  the  rate  f)f  twenty-five  miles  a  day,'  arming 
his  men  by  impressments  and  purchases  on  the  route,  I  was  enabled 
to  send  him  a  six  gun  battery,  which  just  then  arrived  from' General 
Pike's  headquarters,  commanded  by  Captain  (now  Mijor)  W.  E.  W)0  1- 
ruff,  an  officer  of  tried  bravery  and  skill. 

The  order  for  thi-  battery  was  given  on  Mrj  31st.  It  al:^o  directci 
General  Pike  to  send  me  Dawson's  regiment  of  Arkansas  infantry, 
which  might  now  have  been  extremely  useful,  lie  sent  the  men,  but 
took  away  from  them  their  arms.  Upon  learning  this  fact,  [  halted 
them  on  the  march,  till  arms  could  be  procured  by  purchase  or 
impressment.  Three  regiments  of  infantry  were  being  raised  oast  cf 
White  river,  mounted,  to  admit  of  their  withdraw;il  upon  any  suddea 
emergency.  They  were  concentrated  at  Cotton  Plant,  fifteen  miles 
east  of  Des  Arc,  and  added  to  General  Rust's  command.  His  force, 
amounted  to  about  five  thousand  effectives.  His  instructions  were  to 
resist  the  enemy  to  the  last  extremity — blockading  rouh,  burning 
bridges,  destroying  all  supplies,  growing  crops  iujladel,  and  pollu- 
ting the  water  by  killing  cattle,  ripping  the  carcasses,  and  tirowing 
them  in.  In  that  country,  at  this  season,  the  streams  arc  few  and 
sluggish.  'No  army  could  march  through  it  so  opposed.  The  oalj 
remaining  route  would  be  immediately  along  the  bank  of  White  river, 
crossing  Cache  at  Clarendon.  To  meet  that  contingency,  a  gunboat 
was  improvised  by  Captain  Dunnington,  by  lining  the  stcanior  To..; 
Sugg  with  cotton  bales,  and  mounting  an  cightdnch  columbiad  at  h-r 
bow. 

I  proceeded  to  Do  Vall's  Bluff,  where  the  danger  seemed  greatest 
the  enemy  below  making  serious  demonstrations  by  land  and  wat-- 
daily,  and   the    skirmishing   being  heavy  and   almost  incessant.      But 
after  inspecting  the  works  and   observing    the  ppirit  of  the  men,  I 


16 

decided  that  a  garrison,  five  hundred  strong,  could  hold  out  against 
Fitch,  and  that  I  -would  lead  the  remainder — about  fifteen  hundred — 
to  General  Rust,  as  soon  as  shot-guns  and  rifles  could  be  obtained 
from  Little  Rock,  instead  of  the  pikes  and  lances  with  which  most  of 
them  were  armed.  Two  days  elapsed  before  the  change  could  be 
effected.  In  that  interval  Curtis'  advance  crossed  Cache  river,  and 
Attacked  General  Rust,  whose  command,  after  an  engagement  of  about 
thirty  minutes,  retreated  in  great  disorder  across  White  river.  Many  of 
Lis  men  deserted — both  Texans  and  Arkansians.  No  report  of  this 
jifTair  was  ever  received,  though  often  called  for;  consequently,  lam 
not  able  to  give  any  of  the  details.  My  instructions  for  devastating 
the  country  were  not  executed. 

No  longer  able  to  prevent  the  junction  of  Curtis  and  Fitch, 
I  withdrew  my  infantry  from  White  river,  evacuating  De  Vall's  Bluif, 
without  loss  of  any  kind,  and  taking  up  ncAV  a  line — that  of  the 
Bayou  Metre — twelve  miles  from  Little  Rock,  by  which  the  enemy's 
diffiulties  in  supplying  himself  would  be  increased,  and  his 
e/npioyment  of  gunboats  rendered  impossible,  should  he  move  against 
ir.3.  White  river  now  falling  rapidly,  the  gunboats  dropped  down  and 
went  into  the  Mississippi,  fired  upon  to  the  last  moment  from  the  west 
tank.  Curtis,  at  the  same  time,  mqved  eastward  to  the  Mississippi 
and  established  himself  at  Helena.  A  portion  of  my  cavalry,  under 
Colonel  AY.  H.  Parsons,  was  thrown  forward  in  that  direction,  and 
many  successful  attacks  were  made  upon  the  enemy.  The  most 
important  of  these  were  at  Hughes'  ferry,  on  L'Anguillc  river,  thirty 
miles  from  Helena.  A  Federal  cavalry  regiment,  with  about  two 
•hundred  armed  negroes,  and  as  many  more  unarmed,  were  surprised 
in  camp,  and  in  effect,  cut  to  pieces,  losing  over  four  hundred  in 
Lilled,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  with  all  its  baggage.  Colonel  Parsons 
and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Rurleton,  of  his  regiment,  highly  distin- 
guished themselves.  Our  loss  was  thirty  killed  and  fifty-eight 
wounded.  After  this  affair,  the  enemy  confined  himself  in  very 
narrow  limits,  immediately  around  Helena.  Parsons'  command  was 
left  to  watch  that  line,  and  the  remainder  of  my  troops  were  put  in 
camp,  near  Little  Rock,  and  their  organization  and  instruction  com- 
menced. The  scarcity  of  supplies  now  caused  great  distress. 
Nearly  two  months  must  yet  elapse  before  the  new  crops  would  ripen. 
To  lessen  the  consumption  of  corn,  I  found  it  necessary  to  dismount 
four  regiments  of  Texans  and  three  of  Arkansians.  This  produced 
much  dissatisfaction,  and  there  were  many  desertions  .  in  conse- 
quence. 

The  diseases  to  which  fresh  troops  are  subject  became  prevalent ; 
many  died,  and  many  deserted  for  this  cause.  The  men  became 
clamorous  for  pay.  I  prevailed  on  the  State  authorities  to  turn  over  to  me 
the  war  tax  due  the  Confederacy,  amounting  to  upwards  of  four  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  and  caused  it  to  be  disbursed  as  pay  funds — 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  troops  in  the  Indian  country, 
and  the  residue  to  those  in  Arkansas.  But  the  unavoidable  delay  in 
doing  this  gave  occasion  for  many  desertions.  In  a  word,  desertions 
took  place  upon  every  conceivable    pretext.     Frequent  arrests  were 


17 

made,  but  in  every  instance  the  offenders  were  at  first  pardoned,  and 
returned  to  duty,  on  promises  of  better  conduct  in  future.  Forgive- 
ness was  thus  extended  from  different  considerations.  Many  were 
extremely  ignorant,  and  had  probably  been  misled  ;  others  had  wives 
and  children  suffering  for  food.  Lastly,  the  regimental  organizations 
made  by  me  were  not  authorized  by  law,  and,  under  the  circumstances, 
I  shrank  from  inflicting  the  death  penalty.  This  lenity  brought  forth 
evil  fruits.  Mercy  was  taken  for  timidity.  Desertions  increased. 
My  command  seemed  likely  to  dwindle  to  nothing.  The  raising  of  addi- 
tional troops  was  paralyzed.  At  length  Colonel  Nelson  discovered, 
and  reported  to  me,  a  wide-spread  conspiracy  to  disband  and  go 
home*  He  ascertained  that  there  was  a  regular  organization  for  this 
purpose,  and  that  a  badge  was  adopted  by  the  members  for  distinguish- 
ing each  other.  Within  a  few  hours  after  this  discovery,  a  signal 
gun  was  fired  in  the  camp  of  an  Arkansas  regiment,  and  sixty  men, 
headed  bj  two  lieutenants,  deliberately  marched  away,  with  their 
arms  and  accoutrements.  Orders  to  arrest  them  were  not  executed. 
For  the  salvation  of  the  country,  I  had  taken  the  responsibility  to 
force  these  men  into  service.  I  now  resolved,  for  the  same  object, 
to  compel  them  to  remain.  An  order  was  issued  convening  a  **  mili- 
tary commission"  of  three  officers.  Four  prisoners  were  ordered  be- 
fore it  for  trial.  They  were  found  guilty  of  double  desertion,  cutting 
the  telegraph  wire,  and  burning  a  tannery  in  Government  employ. 
Each  confessed  his  guilt.  I  ordered  them  shot  to  death  in  presence 
of  the  troops ;  and  saw  the  order  executed.  Fivo  other  men,  four 
deserters  and  one  citizen,  guilty  of  inciting  desertion,  all  of  whom  had 
been  captured  with  arms  in  their  hands,  fighting  in  the  Federal  ranks, 
at  the  battle  of  L'Anguille,  were  tried  in  the  same  way,  found  guilty, 
and  put  to  death.  Two  deserters  were  similarly  dealt  with  at  Fort 
Smith,  and  one  at  Batesville.  These  summary  measures  had  the  in- 
tended effect.  The  spirit  of  desertion  was  crushed.  It  did  not  again 
manifest  itself  while  I  commanded  the  trans-Mississippi  district. 

In  consequence  of  the  virtual  abdication  of  the  civil  authorities,  I 
believed  it  my  duty,  as  the  only  man  having  the  requisite  force,  to 
institute  a  government  ad  interim.  I  considered  this  incumbent  on 
me,  alike  for  preserving  society  and  creating  and  maintaining  an 
army.  Hence,  on  June  3l)th,  I  proclaimed  martial  law.  To  make  thie 
declaration  effective,  a  provost  marshal  was  appointed  in  each  county, 
and  all  the  independent  companies  therein  were  placed  under  his  con- 
trol. Over  these  were  appointed  provost  marshals  of  districts,  which 
included  several  counties.  The  Provost  Marshal  General,  at  my 
headquarters,  had  command  ove*"  all.  It  was  my  intention  still  fur- 
ther to  improve  and  strengthen  the  organization  by  forming  the  in- 
independent  companies  into  regiments  and  brigades,  as  a  reserve 
force,  for  future  contingencies. 

Martial  law,  and  the  regulations  enforcing  it,  put  an  end  to  the  an- 
archy by  which  the  loyal  population  had  been  so  long  afllictcd.  They 
exorcised  the  devil  of  extortion,  that  was  torturing  soldiers  into  do- 
Bcrtion  by  starving  their  wives  and  children.  They  restored  the 
credit  of  the  Confederate  currency,  and  saved  the  army  from  starvation. 


18 

They  brcke  up  trading  with  the  enemy,  and  destroyed  or  removed 
out  of  his  reach,  thousands  of  bales  of  cotton,  that  selfish  and  venal 
planters  were  ready  to  sell  for  Federal  gold.  They  ensured  the  ex- 
clusion of  spies,  the  arrest  of  traitors,  stragglers  and  deserters,  and 
the  enforcement  of  the  conscription.  Occasional  acts  of  injustice  may 
have  been  committed,  but,  in  the  main,  the  greatest  good  of  the  greatest 
number  of  loyal  citizens  was  premoted.  That  was  certainly  the.  re- 
sult; because  these  citizens  themselves,  as  members  of  the  indepen- 
dent companies,  carried  martial  law  into  effect  in  their  respective 
localities.  Many  arrest  were  made  ;  but,  though  the  order  proclaim- 
ing martial  law  plainly  invited  the  civil  authorities  to  reassert  their 
jurisdiction,  I  never  heard  that  the  writ  of  habeas  co/pus  was  oven 
spoken  of,  except  in  the  case  of  a  negro  man,  who  had  attempted  the 
rape  of  a  white  woman,  whose  relations  were  in  the  army.  The  writ 
was  not  sued  out,  and  the  negro  was  hanged,  as  he  deserved  to  be. 
The  opposition  to  martial  law  never  embraced  many  persons  other 
than  lories,  speculators,  extortioners  and  deserters,  and  a  few  of  the 
smaller  politicians,  who  mistook  the  clamors  of  these  malcontents  for 
the  voice  of  the  people.  Before  resorting  to  this  alternative,  I  not 
only  satisfied  myself  that  the  circumstances  made  it  necessary,  but 
that  it  was  demanded  as  a  necessity  by  the  loyal  population.  During 
all  of  June,  letters  and  petitions  to  that  effect  came  to  me  continually. 
Prominent  citizens  urged  it  at  personal  interviews.  The  editors  of 
the  two  leading  exponents  of  public  opinion  in  Arkansas — the  Gazette 
and  2\u€  Democrat — strongly  advised  it.  The  State  military  board 
approved  it.  Not  a  single  State  officer,  nor  a  member  of  Congress, 
at  any  time  indicated  to  me  a  different  opinion.  There  seemed  to  bo 
but  this  or.e  sentiment  among  good  citizens.  As  to  my  right  to  de- 
clare martial  law,  I  did  not,  nor  do  I  now,  entertain  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt.  Precedents  had  been  set  by  commanding  generals  in  every 
part  of  the  Confederacy.  I  found  it  in  force  over  the  city  of  Little 
Rock,  by  an  order  of  General  Beauregard.  It  had  been  declared  at 
Van-Buren  and  Fort  Smith,  as  I  was  informed,  by  General  Van 
Dorn  or  General  Price.  General  Hebert  had  proclaimed  it  in  Texas. 
Brigadier  General  Albert  Pike,  in  a  letter  bearing  date  *'  Headquar- 
ters Department  of  Indian  Territory,  Fort  McCulloch,  8th  June, 
1862,"  advised  me  that  he  had  proclaimed  it  over  a  portion  of  his 
command;  and  his  "  general  order  No.  — ,"  dated  June  30,  1863, 
directed  one  of  his  officers  to  "  deal  in  the  most  summary  manner" 
with  wJiiLe  men  guilty  of  any  acts  of  violence  or  outrage.  East  of  the 
Mississippi,  martial  law  had  been  proclaimed  at  divers  places  by  Gen- 
eral Bragg  ;  and  at  Murfreesboro',  during  the  retreat  from  Kentucky, 
I  proclaimed  it,  and  was  fully  sustained  by  General  Albert  Sidney 
Johnston.  But  if  there  had  been  no  precedent  at  all,  I  should,  never- 
theless, have  taken  the  responsibility,  risking  myself  upon  the  justice 
of  my  country,  and  the  rectitude  of  my  motives. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  alarming  intelligence  reached  me  from 
the  upper  Indian  country.  The  Federal  "  Indian  expedition"  was 
moving  from  Fort  Scott,  and  its  advance  had  crossed  the  Cherokee 
line.     To  meet  this  force,  five  thousand  strong,  we  had  only  the  brave 


19 

Stand  Watie,  with  his  faithful  regiment  of  half-breed  Cherokeea; 
Drew's  regiment  of  full-bloods,  nanny  of  whom  were  disaffected ;  and 
Clarkson's  battalion  of  MissouriJis,  raised  under  ray  orders,  and  sent 
there  at  the  urgent  request  of  Watie  and  Drew,  as  communicated 
through  the  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  Drew's  regiment.  This  ?raall 
command  encountered  the  enemy  and  was  defeated.  Clarkson  was 
captured,  with  his  train,  and  many  of  his  men  dispersed.  Kxcept  a 
small  body,  under  the  gallant  Captain  Pickens  Benge,  Drew's  regiment 
deserted  to  the  enemy.  With  a  courage  never  surpassed,  Stand  Wa- 
tie still  resisted.  On  one  occasion,  a  portion  of  his  regiment,  under 
Major  E.  C.  Boudinot,  repulsed  the  Federal  advance  of  five  fold 
greater  strength.  But  it  was  not  possible  to  make  head  against  such 
odds,  and  he  was  at  length  compelled  to  fall  back  behind  the  Arkan- 
sas. The  full  bloods,  or  **  Pin  Indians,'  now  rose  in  rebellion,  and 
committed  horrid  excesses.  John  Ross,  the  Cherokee  chief,  was  pre- 
tendedly  taken  prisoner,  but,  as  afterwards  appeared,  really  went  over 
to  the  enemy,  with  the  archives  and  money  of  the  nation. 

Looking  foiward  to  this  invasion,  I  had  on  May  3 1st,  the  day  of 
taking  command,  ordered  General  Pike  to  advance  his  force  to  the 
Kansas  border,  tor  the  protection  of  the  Indian  country.  He  was 
then  at  Fort  McCu!loch,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the  extreme 
south  line  of  that  country,  fortifying  in  an  open  prairie,  with  Red 
river  just  in  his  rear.  The  order  reached  him  on  June  8th.  Receiv- 
ing no  information  that  it  had  been  obeyed,  I  repeated  it  on  June  17th, 
directing  him  to  **  move  at  once  to  or  near  Fort  Gibson,  in  the  Chero- 
kee nation."  He  received  this  order  on  June  24th.  On  July  8th, 
he  being  still  at  Fort  McCulloch,  I  again  ordered  him  forward,  in- 
structing him  to  go  by  way  of  Fort  Smith,  assume  command  of  the 
troops  in  northwest  Arkansas,  in  addition  to  his  own,  and  make  the 
best  disposition  of  them  possible,  to  repel  invasion,  lie  acknowledged 
the  receipt  of  these  instructions  on  July  15th,  writing  still  from  Fort 
McCulloch,  and  advised  me  that  a  part  of  his  troops  had  already 
marched,  and  that  he  would  soon  follow  with  the  remainder.  On 
July  21st,  he  had  succeeded  in  getting  as  far  as  Boggy  Depjt,  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-five  miles.  In  the  meantime  he  had  forwarded  his 
resignation  of  the  office  of  Brigadier  General,  and  applied  to  me  to 
relieve  him  from  duty.  In  his  letter  of  21st,  when  he  had  approached 
twenty-five  miles  nearer  the  enemy,  he  said  : 

*'  I  repeat  my  request  to  be  immediately  relieved  of  this  com- 
mand. If  I  do  not  receive  an  order  to  that  effect  in  fourteen  days, 
I  shall  leave  the  command  in  the  hands  of  Colonel  Cooper." 

In  his  letter  of  July  3d,  speaking  of  the  unfavorable  impression 
existing  as  to  his  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Elkhorn,  he  said: 

**  There  has  been  a  regular  deluge  of  lies  poured  out  about  me,  in 
Arkansas  and  Texas  ;  and  the  men  of  the  regiments  of  Darnell  and 
Dawson,  who  owe  me  nothing  but  favors  and  kindness,  have  sown 
them  broadcast  over  these  two  States,  to  such  an  extent  that  I  should 
be  very  obtuse  not  to  know  the  immense  disadvantages  under  which 
I  labor  in  endeavoring  to  effect  anything.     The  poison  is  in  the  minds 


2^ 

of  the  men  of  my  own  commend,  and  I  should  be  sincerely  rejoiced  to 
have  the  opportunity  of  retiring  to  private  life." 

In  the  same  letter,  speaking  olScertain  suggestions  he  had  made  to 
the  President,  at  an  early  day  of  the  war,  in  relation  to  Indian  af- 
fairs, he  said  : 

"  The  response  to  my  recommendation  wag  my  own  appoint- 
ment, which  I  did  not  anticipate,  and  did  not  wish ;  and  I  am  alto- 
gether too  corpulent  to  ride  much  on  horseback,  and  besides  am 
subject  to  neuralgia  in  the  back,  which,  seizing  me  suddenly,  utterly 
disables  me  for  days  at  a  time.  I  only  consented  to  take  the  d — d 
command,  because  I  had  made  the  treaties,  felt  personally  responsible 
for  the  security  of  the  country  here,  and  knew  it  was  supposed  I 
could  manage  better  with  the  Indians  than  any  one  else.  I  am  sure 
I  wish  somebody  else  would  take  it." 

Under  these  circumstances,  it^eemed  that  the  interests  of  the  ser- 
vice would  be  promoted,  and  his  own  desires  gratified,  by  complying 
with  General  Pike's  request,  I  therefore  forwarded  his  resignation 
to  Richmond,  with  my  approval,  and  at  the  same  time,  relieved  him 
from  duty.  On  the  receipt  of  my  order  to  that  eifect,  he  issued  and 
distributed  a  printed  circular,  addressed  to  the  Indians,  and  equally 
likely  to  reach  the  enemy,  in  which,  under  pretence  of  defending  the 
Confederate  Government,  he  evidently  sought  to  excite  prejudice 
against  it,  and  endeavored  thoroughly  to  disgust  and  dishearten  our 
Indian  allies, by  suppressing  or  perverting  facts,  where  their  publica- 
tion would  be  beneficial  to  our  cause,  and  openly  proclaiming  them 
when  they  should  have  been  concealed.  This  extract  will  illustrate 
the  character    of  the  paper  : 

'•  I  tried  in  vain  to  get  men  enough  from  Arkansas  and  Texas  to 
prevent  an  invasion  of  the  Cherokee  country.  You  can  see  now,  at 
Cantonment  Davis,  all  the  white  troops  I  was  allowed  to  have.  You 
will  plainly  see  that  with  them,  if  they  had  all  been  in  the  Cherokee 
country,  two  or  three  thousand  of  the  enemy  could  at  any  time  have 
driven  them  away.  And,  while  they  were  there,  if  I  could  have  fed 
them  there,  what  would  have  kept  the  northern  troops,  and  the  hostile 
Creeks,  and  other  Indians,  from  coming  down  to  the  Deep  Fork  and 
North  Fork  of  the  Canadian,  and  driving  out  our  friends  from  the 
Creek  and  Seminole  country  ?" 

Colonel  (now  Brigadier  General)  D.  11,  Cooper,  who  was  next  in 
rank  and  had  succeeded  to  the  command,  deemed  it  his  duty  to  place 
General  Pike  in  arrest,  and  so  informed  me,  enclosing  a  copy  of  the 
circular,  and  expressing  the  opinion  that  the  author  was  insane,  cr  a 
traitor.  I  approved  his  action,  and  ordered  General  Pike  sent  to 
Little  Rock,  in  custody.  I  also  forwarded  Colonel  Cooper's  letter  to 
Richmond,  with  an  endorsement,  asking  to  withdraw  my  approval  of 
General  Pike's  resignation,  that  I  might  bring  him  before  a  court- 
martial,  on  charges  of  falsehood,  cowardice  and  treason.  He  was  also 
liable  to  the  penalties  prescribed  by  section  twenty-nine  of  the  act  of 
Congress,  "  regulating  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  and  to  preserve 
peace  on  the  frontiers,"  approved  April  8th,  1862,  as  follows: 

'*  If  any  person  shall  send,  make,  carry  or  deliver  any  talk,  speech, 


message  or  letter,  to  any  Indian  nation,  tribe,  band,  chief  or  indi- 
viduai,  with  intent  to      *     *     #_    »     ^.^^.^  ^^^^  ^^^-^^^  ^^-^^^  ^,^^^^ 

chief  or  Indian  dissatisfied  with  their  relations  with  the  Confederate 
btat  s,  or  uneasy  or  discontented,  the  person  so  offendino-  shall  on 
conviction,  be  punished  by  fine  not  exceeding  ten  thousand  dollars, 
nor  less  than  two  thousand  dollars,  and  by  imprisonment  not  less  than 
two,  nor  more  than  ten  ye::rs  ;  and  the  intent  above  mentioned  shall 
be  conclusively  inferred  from  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  any  such 
talk,  speech,  message,  or  letter  in  writino-." 

But  his  resignation  had  been  accepted,  after  which  Mr  Pike 
reappeared  at  "  Fort  McCulloch,"  issued  an  order  as  "  Brigadier  Gene- 
ral commanding,"  and  preventc-d  the  march  of  troops  from  there 
towards  the  enemy.  I  again  ordered  him  taken  in  custody,  and  con- 
ducted to  Little  Rock.  My  conviction  that  he  v. as  a  traitor  was  con- 
firmed Uy  the  discovery,  among  the  very  troops  thus  detained  by  him, 
and  among  citizens  in  the  adjacent  part  of  Texas,  of  a  secret  society, 
formed  to  aid  in  restoring  the  Yankee  Union  Fortv-six  of  these 
traitors  were  summarily  put  to  death  by  the  people  of  nonheast  Texas. 
Two  of  them  declared  that  Mr.  Pike  was  looked  to  as  a  sympathizer, 
and  the  probable  leader  of  their  organization.  A  letter  from  General 
Holmes  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  dated  November  Kith,  18G2,  and 
now  on  file  at  the  Adjutant  General's  office,  is  referred  to  in  this  con- 
nection. This  society  having  been  broken  up.  and  Mr.  Pike's  in- 
fluence among  either  whites  or  Indians  amounting  to  very  little,  he 
was  turned  loose,  and  has  since  been  permitted  to  go  at  large. 

Colonel  Cooper  moved  forward  to  the  Arkansas,  and  united  with 
Stand  Watie.  At  the  same  time,  I  pushed  across  the  mountains,  from 
Fort  Smith,  two  regiments  of  Missourians,  under  Brigadier  General 
Raines,  and  three  regiments  of  Arkansians,  under  Colonel  C.  A  Car- 
roll. The  enemy's  communication  with  Missouri  and  Kansas  being 
thus  threatened,  and  Cooper  moving  up  in  his  front,  he  retreated  hastily 
towards  and  beyond  the  Kansas  line.  Thus  the  loyal  Cherokees  were 
restored  to  their  country,  and  enabled  to  assemble  a  convention,  de- 
pose Ross  and  make  Stand  Watie  chief  of  the  nation.  Shortly  af- 
terwards I  arrived  at  Tahlequah,  the  Cherokee  capital,  having  been 
detained  until  then  at  Little  Rock,  by  the  appearance  of  a  largo  fleet 
of  gunboats  and  transports,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  and  in 
the  lower  White  river. 

The  hostile  or  Pin  Indians  yet  infested  the  upper  parts  of  the 
Cherokee  country,. carrying  on  a  guerrilla  war  and  committing  num- 
berless atrocious  outrages.  Houses  were  burned,  fields  laid  waste, 
and  women  and  children  massacred  by  these  merciless  savages.  Be- 
tween one  and  two  thousand  helpless  Cherokees  fled  across  the  line 
into  Arkansas,  where  I  caused  them  to  be  subsisted  at  Government 
expense. 

Delaying  only  long  enough  to  concentrate  the  troops,  and  arrange 
for  supplies,  I  moved  forward  to  the  north  border  of  Arkansas,  and 
thence  into  Missouri,  clearing  the  Cherokee  country  entirely  of  hos- 
tile Indians,  driving  back  the  enemy's  advanced  parties,  and  eventu- 
ally compelling  the  main  body  to  retreat  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Scott,  '' 


2t 

Within  fifteen  days,  an  extent  of  territory  one  hundred  miles  long 
and  fifty  miles  wide,  was  regained  to  the  Confederacy,  and  a  strong 
line  secured  in  south  Missouri,  fully  protecting  northwest  Arkansas 
and  the  Indian  country. 

The  ''  Indian  expedition,"  under  Blount,  which  had  retreated  be- 
fore my  troops,  was  a  mixed  force  of  whites  and  Indians.  They  were 
much  demoralized,  running  away  almost  without  firing  a  gun  when- 
ever attacked.  My  mounted  men,  though  less  numerous,  were  more 
than  a  match  for  them.  I  resolved,  therefore,  to  lead  my  cavalry,  at 
once  against  Blount,  and,  having  routed  him,  and  driven  them  into 
Kansas,  to  turn  eastward,  and  attack  Springfield  ;  my  infantry,  under 
General  Raines,  also  moving  upon  it  from  the  South.  Brigadier 
General  E.  Tottenhad  there  six  thousand  men,  mostly  of  the  Missouri 
militia.  He  was  calling  for  reinforcements,  and  it  was  to  be  antici- 
pated that  Blount  would  unite  with  him.  I  would  probably  be  soon 
outnumbered,  and  driven  back  to  the  Arkansas  river,  unless  able  to 
carry  out  the  plan  above  mentioned  The  preliminary  orders  were 
issued  and  preparations  were  being  made  with  energy,  when  I  was 
ordered  immediately  to  Little  Rock,  by  Major  General  (now  Lieute- 
nant General,)  T.  H.  Holmes,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  '*  trans-Mississippi  department,"  including  my  dis- 
trict, and  had  arrived  at  Little  Rock  shortly  before  my  departure. 
He  considered  an  advance  by  me  as  likely  to  open  the  campaign  pre- 
maturely, and  also  desired  my  services  in  command  of  the  troops  be- 
low, to  meet  a  supposed  advance  of  the  enemy  from  Hudson.  I 
obeyed  the  order  with  forebodings  of  disaster,  which  were  afterwerds 
most  unfortunately  realized. 

As  embodying  the  subsequent  history  of  the  campaign  of  1862,  in 
southwest  Missouri  and  northwest  Arkansas,  I  respectfully  refer  to 
Colonel  Cooper's  report  of  the  battle  of  Newtoniaj  a  brilliant  victory, 
in  which  the  Indian  troops  displayed  great  bravery ;  also  his  report 
of  the  battle  of  Maysville,  in  which  his  command  was  disastrously  de- 
feated. 

Also  my  reports  of  the  battle  of  Prarie  Grove,  the  Van  Buren  affair, 
and  General  Marraaduke's  expedition  into  Missouri ;  and  the  letter  of 
General  Holmes,  dated  January  1st,  1863,  including  a  memoir  by  me 
upon  these  events  ;  all  of  which  papers  are  on  file  in  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
jral's  department. 

General  Holmes  assumed  command  of  the  trans-Mississippi  depart- 
ment on  August  2Uth.  My  command  of  the  trans- Mississippi 
district,  therefore,  continued  seventy  days.  I  have  already  mentioned 
the  most  important  of  my  acts  in  the  endeavor  to  create  an  army. 
How  far  I  succeeded  may  be  judged  by  these  facts. 

In  Arkansas  there  were  raised  and  organized,  under  my  orders, 
"thirteen  regiments  and  one  battalion  of  infantry,  two  regiments  and 
one  battalion  of  cavalry,  and  four  batteries,  all  war  troops ;  besides 
upwards  of  five  thousand  irregulars,  of  the  "  independent  compa- 
nies," and  not  including  the  Arkansas  troops  drawn  from  the  Indian 
country. 

From  Missouri  there  were  raised  and  organized,  under  my  orders^ 


ss 

seven  regiments  of  cavalry  and  three  "batteries,  all  war  troops,  exclu- 
sive of  numerous  guerrilla  parties  remaining  in  that  State. 

The  records  of  the  Adjutant  General's  department  show  that  there 
were  only  twenty-nine  Arkansas  regiments  and  six  Missouri  regiments, 
infantry  and  cavalry  included,  in  the  Confederate  service  up  to  June 
Ist,  18*62.  By  my  efforts,  the  number  of  Arkansas  regiments  was 
increased  over  one-half,  and  the  number  of  Missouri  regiments  was 
trebled,  the  former  being  raised  to  forty-five  and  the  latter  to 
eighteen. 

In  addition,  I  drew  from  Texas  twenty-one  regiments  of  infantry 
and  dismounted  cavalry,  four  regiments  of  cavalry  and  three  batte- 
ries, raising  the  number  of  Texan  regiments  in  my  district  to 
twenty-eight,  with  five  batteries. 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  the  organization  of  several  regiments  of 
Arkansians  and  Missourians,  above  referred  to,  was  not  perfected  till 
after  General  Holmes'  arrival,  but  it  was  as  fully  my  work  as  that  of 
the  other.  It  is  also  true  that  several  of  the  Texas  regiments  had 
not  arrived  when  he  assumed  command,  but  they  would  have  come, 
irrespective  of  that,  under  the  arrangements  already  made.  The 
arms  that  could  be  obtained  in  my  district  were  greatly  below  the 
number  necessary  for  the  troops.  General  Beauregard  sent  me  three 
hundred  and  fifty  shot  guns  and  sporting  rifles  and  seven  hundred 
muskets.  I  endeavored  to  obtain  others  by  application  hero,  and  also 
made  requisitions  for  funds,  but  received  nothing  whatever  from  any 
department  of  the  Government,  except  money  sent  to  my  medical 
purveyor  by  the  Surgeon  General. 

Since  my  arrival  here,  I  have  been  permitted  to  refer  to  papers  on 
file  in  the  Adjutant  General's  department  relating  to  my  command 
and  services.  I  find  that  my  letter  of  June  9th,  1862,  was  received 
on  the  27th  of  the  same  month,  and  that  it  was  submitted  to  and  read 
by  the  late  Secretary  of  War,  Mr.  Randolph.  It  bears  an  endorse- 
ment in  pencil,  signed  with  his  initials,  approving  a  request  made  in 
the  last  paragraph  for  the  appointment  of  John  11.  Crump  as  quar- 
termaster. That  letter,  in  its  first  paragraph,  states  how  I  came  to 
be  in  command  of  the  trans-Mississippi  district,  and  refers  to  and 
encloses  officially  attested  copies  of  the  orders  of  General  Beauregard, 
heretofore  embodied  in  this  report,  assigning  me  to  that  command. 

Two  months  after  the  receipt  of  that  letter,  to-wit :  on  September 
6th,  having  been  requested  by  the  lower  house  of  Congress  to  state 
by  what  authority  I  did  certain  acts,  as  commanding  general  of  the 
trans-Mississippi  district,  the  late  Secretary  replied  as  follows: 

"  The  department  has  no  official  information  of  the  conduct  imputed 
to  General  Hindman  ;  but  having  seen  orders,  purporting  to  come 
from  him,  declaring  martial  law  and  adopting  oppressive  police  regu- 
lations in  Arkansas,  General  Holmes  has  been  instructed  to  inquire 
into  it,  and,  if  he  found  such  to  be  the  case,  to  rescind  the  declara- 
tion of  martial  law  and  the  regulations  adopted  to  carry  it  into  effect. 

♦•  General  Holmes  is  also  instructed  as  to  the  mode  of  executing 
the  conscript  act. 


24 

"  General  Hindman  was  not  sent  to  Arkansas  by  the  department,  and 
has  never  been  commanding  general  of  the  trans- Mississippi  department.''^ 

The  last  sentence  of  the  above  communication  was  construed  west 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  probably  elsewhere,  to  mean  that,  on 
assuming  command  of  the  trans-Mississippi  district,  I  was  guilty  of 
imposture  and  usurpation.  It  seems  to  admit  of  that  construction. 
Appearing  as  the  oflBcial  declaration  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  it  in- 
jured me,  both  as  an  officer  and  as  a  man,  not  only  among  citizens, 
but  with  the  troops  serving  under  me.  I  could  have  published  the 
facts  and  silenced  slander  at  any  moment,  but  was  deterred  from  so 
doing  by  self-respect  and  regard  for  the  usages  of  the  service.  I 
addressed  a  letter  to  General  Holmes,  calling  attention  to  the  injus- 
tice done  me,  and  it  was  duly  forwarded  by  him,  and  specially 
referred  to  in  his  accompanying  communication,  dated  October  3, 
18'' 2.  No  answer  was  ever  received.  My  reputation  continued  to 
suffer,  and  my  influence  to  diminish,  under  this  undeserved  blow  from 
the  Secretary  of  War,  from  which  alone  the  opposition  to  me  derived 
any  weight  or  respectability. 

It  eventuated  in  my  application  to  be  relieved  from  duty  west  of 
the  Mississippi. 

I  think  it  but  just  to  ask  that  this  report,  or  so  much  thereof  as 
will  correct  the  error  of  the  late  Secretary,  be  communicated  to 
Congress,  and  also  that  I  have  leave  to  publish  the  same. 

The  length  of  time  and  great  number  of  important  transactions 
covered  by  this  report,  have  extended  it  far  beyond  what  I  could  wish. 
I  shall,  therefore,  be  compelled  to  defer  to  a  supplementary  report 
such  mention  as  I  should  have  been  gla4  to  make  here  of  the  officers 
to  whom  I  was  most  indebted  for  assistance  in  the  labors  performed. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  General, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

T.  C.  HINDMAN, 

Major  General. 


SUPi^LEMENTAL  REPORT. 


Richmond,    June,  29,   1863. 

To  General  S,  Cooper, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector  General : 

General  :  As  a  report  supplementary  to  the  one  made  by  me  on 
the  19th  instant,  I  beg  to  mention  here  the  ofTiccrs  to  whom  I  am 
most  indebted  for  as3i8tance  in  the  labors  performed  Avhilc  command- 
ing the  trans-Mississippi  district. 

In  the  enrollment  and  organization  of  troops  from  Missouri,  Brig- 
adier Generals  Parsons  and  McBride  ;  Colonels  Clarke,  Payne,  Jock- 
man,  Thompson,  Porter,  McDonald,  and  Shelly  ;  Lieutenant  Colonels 
Caldwell,  Lewis,  and  Johnston  ;  Majors  Murray,  Musscr,  and  Pin- 
dell  ;  Captains  Standish,  Buchanan,  Cravens,  Perry,  Quantrell,  and 
Harrison,  were  especially  zealous  and  useful.  In  estimating  the 
value  of  their  labors,  and  of  the  many  other  devoted  men  who  assisted 
them,  it  is  to  be  considered  that,  in  order  to  bring  out  recruits  from 
their  States,  it  was  necessary  to  go  within  the  enemy's  lines,  taking 
the  risks  of  detection  and  punishment  as  spies,  secretly  collecting 
the  men  in  squads  and  companies,  arming,  equipping,  and  subsisting 
them  by  stealth,  and  then  moving  them  rapidly  southward,  th»'ough  a 
country  swarming  with  Federal  soldiers  and  an  organized  militia,  and 
whose  population  could  only  give  assistance  at  the  hazard  of  confis- 
cation of  property,  and  even  death  itself;  that  they  succeeded  at  all, 
under  such  circumstances,  is  attributable  to  a  courage  and  fidelity 
unsurpassed  in  the  history  of  the  war.  That  they  did  succeed,  b'?yond 
all  expectation,  is  shown  by  the  fine  regiments  of  Missouri  troops 
now  serving  in  the  trans-Mississippi  department.  In  raising  troops 
in  Arkansas,  Colonel  C.  A.  Carroll  was  more  successful  than  any 
other  officer,  and  is  entitled  to  high  credit.  He  was  valuably  assisted 
by  Colonels  W.  II.  Brooks  and  W.  D.  King,  Lieut.  Cols.  Gunter  and 
McCord,  Major  Dillard,  and  other.*,  and  put  in  the  service  three  full 
regiments  of  infantry  and  one  of  cavalry.  Colonel  II.  L.  Gimstead 
raised  two  regiments  of  infantry.  Colonel  (now  Brigadier  General) 
D.  McRae,  Colonels  J.  C.  Pleasants,  11.  .T.  McNeill,  C.  II.  Mattock, 
each  raised  a  regiment. 

In  raising  Arkansas  troops,  and  afterwards  in  their  organization 
and  instructions  important  services  were  rendered  by  the  following, 
among  other  officers:  Colonel  (now  Brigadier  General)  J.  T.  Fagan, 
Colonels  Shaler,  Sharer,  Morgan,  Glenn,  and  Johnson  ;  Lieutenant 
Colonels   Gevghagan,    Maginnis,    Polk,    McMillan,    Wright,   Hart, 


26 

Yoang,  and  Crawford  ;  Majors  Bell,  Gand,  Coke,  Baber,  Yell,  Hicks, 
Chrisraan,  and  Crenshaw ;  Captaina  J.  Johnson,  Ringo,  Martin, 
Home,  Blackmer,  and  Biscoe.  Among  so  many  who  were  efficient, 
it  is  difficult  at  this  date  to  remember  all,  and  it  is  probable  some  are 
omitted  who  should  be  named. 

In  the  emergency  that  existed,  it  was  absolutely  necessary,  as  I 
have  shown  in  the  report  to  which  this  is  an  accompaniment,  for  me 
to  assume  the  authority  to  appoint  the  field  and  staff  officers.  If  this 
had  not  been  done  not  a  regiment  would  have  been  raised,  and  Arkan- 
sas would  have  been  wholly  overrun  by  the  enemy.  For  this  and 
other  assumptions  of  power,  made  necessary  by  the  same  exigency,  I 
have  been  much  censured  by  various  persons  As  for  myself,  1  do  not 
conceive  it  necessar  7 13  offer  here  any  vindication  other  than  the  state- 
ment just  made.  But  as  to  the  officers  whom  I  appointed,  and  by 
whose  labors  Arkansas  was  saved  from  subjugation,  I  feel  it  a  duty  to 
urge  that  recognition  and  reward  which  their  services  merit.  It  will 
appear  as  as  trange  chapter  in  the  history  of  this  contest  that  the  Confed- 
erate Congress,  by  special  enactment,  legalized  the  regimental  organi- 
zations made  by  me,  thereby  recognizing  the  n^'ces^ity  of  my  action, 
and  yet  subsequently  legislated  out  of  office  the  officers  wh )  raised 
the  troops,  organized,  provided  for,  and  instructed  them,  and  after- 
wards led  them  to  battle  and  victory,  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  the 
legislation  just  referred  to  was  based  upon  an  imperi'ect  kaoivleilge  of 
the  facts,  and  for  this  reason,  with  due  respect  to  the  legislative 
authority,  I  have  called  attention  to  it. 

The  services  of  Brig.  Gen.  Roane,  in  Arkansas  and  Louisiana,  have 
been  mentioned  in  my  previous  report.  In  that  report  I  also  spe- 
cially referred  to  the  prompt  patriotism  with  which  Brigadier  Generals 
Ilebert,  McCulloch,  and  Nelson,  and  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
various  Texan  regiments  came  to  my  assistance.  In  the  various  staff 
deparments,  the  officers  necessary  for  the  proper  working  of  each 
were  appointed  by  me,  and  as  a  body  displayed  much  zeal  and  effi- 
ciency. A  list  of  these  appointments  was  submitted  by  me  to  Lieu- 
tenant General  Holmes,  and  was  approved  by  him  and  for- 
warded to  Richmond  for  confirmation.  Up  to  the  date  when  I  was 
relieved  from  duty  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  a  few  of  these  offi- 
cers only  had  been  commissioned.  The  remainder  continued  to  act 
without  commissions  and  without  compensation.  None  of  them  are 
supernumeraries,  and  every  one  desires  to  be  appointed.  For  the 
benefit  of  the  service  and  as  an  act  of  justice  to  them,  I  earnestly 
hope  that  commissions  will  be  sent  them  at  an  early  day. 

The  officers  composing  my  staff  performed  services  greatly  exceed- 
ing the  requirements  of  their  several  positions  and  full  of  the  most 
arduous  and  exacting  labor.  In  the  discharge  of  office  duty  and  in 
organizing,  instructing,  and  providing  for  the  troops,  they  were  con- 
stantly attentive  and  laborious.  On  the  field  they  displayed  the  cour- 
age and  coolness  becoming  to  them. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

T.  C.  HINDMAN,  Major  General, 


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